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RB Leipzig – VfB Stuttgart
Football fans in Germany currently have a lot on offer. There is a full programme in the Bundesliga at the moment. After the 17th matchday has just ended, the first match of the 18th matchday is already scheduled for Friday. To kick off the second half of the Bundesliga season, RB Leipzig will face VfB Stuttgart at home. Find out who will win the match on Friday in our Leipzig vs Stuttgart betting tips.
After a mixed start to the season, RB Leipzig has been on a roll lately. After four wins in a row before the winter break, RB started the new year with a 1-1 draw against Bayern. On Tuesday, Leipzig then dispatched last-place Schalke 04 6-1. Leipzig’s declared goal for the second half of the season is to reach the Champions League again.
VfB Stuttgart is currently deep in the relegation battle. The Swabians started the season very weakly and stabilised only slowly. VfB drew the first two games after the winter break. On Tuesday, Stuttgart conceded a late goal and therefore could not go beyond a 2-2 draw against TSG Hoffenheim.
Leipzig – Stuttgart info:
– Date & Time: 27/01/2023, 20:30 hrs.
– Venue: Red Bull Arena, Leipzig
– Competition: Bundesliga, Matchday 18
– TV broadcast: DAZN
Leipzig Form & Balance Check
For a few years now, RB Leipzig has been a fixture in German football. Even if truly not all football fans adore the team, it has recently achieved some success. At the latest with the win of the DFB Cup last year and the entry into the Champions League semi-finals in 2020, RB has proven itself in German football.
Leipzig is playing really well again this year. In both the DFB Cup and the Champions League, RasenBallsport is still in the mix. However, the start of the season in the league was not exhilarating. Domenico Tedesco had to take his hat off early on after picking up only six points in the first five games. Things are now going much better under new coach Marco Rose. Leipzig has been unbeaten in the Bundesliga for ten games. On Tuesday, Leipzig won in dominant fashion with 6:1 against FC Schalke 04.
Will it work without Nkunku?
Last season and the shortened first half of the season, Christopher Nkunku was the decisive player at RB Leipzig. In his first 15 games this season, the Frenchman scored 12 goals and still leads the Bundesliga scoring charts. Last year, Leipzig’s number 18 even netted 20 times in the league.
In the training camp of the French national team before the World Cup, however, Nkunku injured himself and will be out for a few more weeks. Until then, returnee Timo Werner and André Silva will presumably form RB’s forward duo. Both strikers together have nine goals to their name so far this season. In the game against Schalke, both harmonised outstandingly, as Silva scored twice and Werner once.
Leipzig facts & analysis
– Ten Bundesliga games in a row without defeat.
– In the last 16 of the Champions League
– Reigning DFB Cup winners
Stuttgart form & balance check
In the 2006/2007 season, VfB Stuttgart surprisingly became German champions under coach Armin Veh. In the last few years, however, VfB fans were no longer interested in the Champions League, but in the relegation battle.
This season, Stuttgart are once again playing against going down to League 2. VfB have only managed three victories so far this season. After nine winless games at the beginning of the season, coach Pellegrino Matarazzo was suspended. Interim coach Michael Wimmer at least led VfB out of the bottom of the table. Since the winter break, Bruno Labbadia has been back in charge of the Swabians. VfB drew their first two games this year, the last one against TSG Hoffenheim.
Lack of goal threat
Sasa Kalajdzic played the first three games this season for VfB Stuttgart. Shortly before the end of the transfer period, the Austrian then moved to Wolverhampton Wanderers on the island. Despite this, Kalajdzic is still Stuttgart’s second best provider of assists this season, having given three assists in his three games. This statistic is indicative of the Swabians’ lack of scoring threat this season.
VfB have only scored 21 goals in their first 17 Bundesliga games so far. The team’s top scorer is newcomer Serhou Guirassy with only six goals. Endo and Silas follow in second place with three goals. Meanwhile, the man with the most assists for Stuttgart, Borna Sosa, is still flirting with a departure in the winter transfer window.
Stuttgart facts & analysis
– Only one defeat in the last four league games.
– Still without a win or defeat under coach Labbadia
– Five-time German champions
Predicted line-up – last update on 25 January 2023
Leipzig will again go with a 4-4-2, with the central midfielders slightly more withdrawn. Simakan, Diallo, Nkunku and Gulácsi will be missing from the team through injury. Timo Werner is fit again after missing the World Cup and will operate with Silva in the forward line. Kevin Kampl is missing due to a yellow suspension.
The visitors from Stuttgart will go for a 4-3-2-1, with Guirassy again playing as the lone striker in the Tannenbaum system. Coach Labbadia will still have to do without the injured Sosa, who is willing to change. Dan-Axel Zagadou and Laurin Ulrich are also missing for the Swabians due to injury. Naouirou Ahamada was also sent off against Hoffenheim and will therefore miss out.
Leipzig – Stuttgart direct comparison & Statistics
The two teams have played nine competitive matches against each other so far and VfB Stuttgart have never been victorious. Stuttgart have only managed two draws against RB so far. In the first match of the season, the two teams drew 1-1, with Ahmada and Nkunku scoring the goals. Both will be absent on Friday.
– Stuttgart have never won against Leipzig before.
– The goal difference in direct duels is currently 16:2 for Leipzig.
– When Leipzig lead 1-0 in home matches, they win 88% of the games.
– Leipzig have scored in each of their last 17 matches
– Did you know that Stuttgart score 26% of their goals between the 31-45 minute?
